Improvement in machines for stemming and cutting tobacco



Z Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. P. SMOTHERS.

MACHINE FOR STEMMING AND CUTTING TOBACCO.

Patented Aug. 8, 1876- 2 SheetsSheet 2. I. P. SM'OTHERS.

MACHINE FOR STEMMING AND CUTTING TOBACCO.

No.180,951. Patented Aug. 8, 1876.

)LPETEMRv PNOTO-LITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. I} C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIon.

JAMES P. SMOTHERS, OF WENTWORTH, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDSHIS RIGHT TO TURNER W. PATTERSON, DAVID SETTLE, AND THOMAS SETTLE, OFNORTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR STEMMING AND CUTTING TOBACCO.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 180,951, dated August8, 1876; application filed April 29, 1876.

To all whom tt may concern Beit known that I, JAMES PINKEY SMOTH- ERS,of Wentworth, in the county of Rockingham and State of North Carolina,have invented certain Improvements in Machine for Stemming and SlittingTobacco, of which the following is a specification:

My invention consists of a machine so constructed as to cut the stemsfrom tobaccoleaves, and, if desired, at the same time to cut the leavesinto-strips for cigar-wrappers, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure'l is a perspective view of the ma chine complete, with one cornerof the table broken away, in order the better to show the parts. Fig. 2is aside elevation, shown partly in section. Fig. 3 is a topplanview,"with a portion in section and Figs. 4 and 5 are portions showndetached.

In the preparation of tobacco for use in cigars, &c., it is necessary toremove the stems from the leaves, which operation is usually performedby hand, and is denominated stemming. When performed by hand, this is aslow and tedious operation, and moreover it is is more or less wasteful,inasmuch as in removing the stems it is impossible to prevent some wasteof that portion of the leaf which might otherwise be utilized. Theobject of my present invention is to provide a machine for doing thiswork, in a more rapid and economical manner. V

To construct a machine on my plan, I pro vide a suitable frame, on whichis a table or platform, A, and in which, near its front, I mount twohorizontal shafts, B and 0, one being placed directly over the other,and being.

provided with gear wheels I? or equivalent means to make them rotatetogether, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4. On the shaft B, as shown inFigs. 3, 4, and 5, I mount two circular disks or knives, or, with asmall space between them, and on the shaft 0, directly over these, Isecure another disk or knife, 6, the edge of the latter being arrangedto fit in the space between the two first, as shown in Fig. 4. Upon bothshafts B and O, near the inner side of these knives, I arrange a concavecollar, 1", thus forming a groove close alongside of the knives for thestem of the leaf to lay in as it is fed along. In front of these rollsor shafts B O I secure a spring, d, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, withits loose end resting between the rolls close up against the collars 1',which is intended to keep the stem pressed close up to the knives a 0,so that as they rotate they shall sever the leaf close alongside of thestem. It is obvious that the flanges 1' on the rolls may be dispensedwith, in which case the spring d will press directly against the side ofthe stem, and thus keep it crowded close up alongside of thestemming-knives a e, the spring being provided with a thumbscrew or anysimilar means for adjusting its pressure on the stem, as may be foundnecessary, the sole object of the spring being to keep the stem close upto the knives or cutters. In rear of the rolls I secure a curved metalpiece, b, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5,'the front end of said piece beingmade' to fit in the narrow space between the knives a, and thus act as ascraper to keep them clear from adhering matter, which might tend tointerfere with their operation. This curved piece also serves as a guideto shave the severed stem off at one side, and thus separate it from theleaf, as it is cut, as shown in Fig. 5, where S represents the stem andL the leaf in the act of passing between the rolls.

At the rear end of the frame I mount two other shafts parallel with therolls B G, one of these shafts, E, being placed above, and the otherone, P, being below, the table, the shaft E being driven by a belt, 19,from the upper rolls 0, while the lower shaft P is inlike manner drivenby a belt, m, from the lower roll B, as shown in Figs. 2 and. 3. Each ofI these shafts E and P are provided with bevelgear to and v at theirinner ends, which ongage with similar gear w and c on the rear ends oftwo shafts, D and I, which are arranged at right angles to the rolls BO, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These shafts D and I are arranged oneabove and the other below the rolls, as shown in Fig. 2, and each ofthem is provided at their front ends with a series of radial brushes, f,which rotate in close proximity directly in front of the knives on therolls B 0, they being arranged thus to operate on the upper and lowerfaces of the leaf as it is fed along, for the purpose of brushing offany adhering dirt, particles of sand, &c., and also to keep the leafspread out flat and smooth.

At the rear end of the frame I mount two smooth rolls, H and J, as shownin Figs. 1, 2, and 3, around which from the rolls B 0 pass endless beltsg and h for the purpose of feeding or conveying along the leaf as itpasses from the knives, and after the stem has been severed therefrom.It is sometimes desirable to also cut the leaf into strips for thepurpose of making cigar-wrappers, and to enable this to be done at thesame time that the stems are removed, I have shown the rolls B 0provided with a series of additional knives, c, as shown in Fig. 4, sothat as the leaf is fed along between the rolls it will be cut into aseries of strips, l, as shown in Fig. 5. These knives c are slipped ontothe shafts of the rolls, and a washer, o, placed between them, as shown.Any number of knives may be thus arranged, and, by using washers ofdifferent lengths, the knives may be so spaced as to cut the strips 1 ofany desired width, the knives and washers being secured on the shafts bya nut, n, which is screwed thereon, as shown in Fig. 4. It will ofcourse be understood that this slitting arrangement is not a necessarypart of a stemming-machine, but is an addition thereto, and that when itis desired to simply stem the tobacco these additional knives a will beleftofl or omitted. So, too, the brushes may be omitted, and the leavesstemmed without them; but I prefer to use them, for the reasonspreviously stated. In case they are omitted, then the shafts E and P,with their belts p and m, may also be omitted, and I propose to buildthe machine in some instances with these parts omitted.

While I have shown the machine as provided with a crank for operating itby handpower, it will be understood that it may be operated by steam oranimal power, and when used on a large scale will of course be sodriven.

A machine constructed to operate onthe plan here described will performthe labor of several hands and at the same time save considerable wasteof tobacco.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. The rolls B G,provided with the flanges r and the circular cutters a and 0, allconstructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

2. In combination with the circular cutters a and e, the spring (1,arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the cutters a and e, the combined scraper andguide I), constructed and arranged to operate substantially as shown anddescribed.

4. The combination, in a tobacco-machine, of the rolls B 0, providedwith one or more pairs of cutters, and the rotating brushes f, allconstructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

5. In combination with the rolls B U, provided with the stemming-cuttersa e, the slitting-cutters 0, arranged to operate in connectiontherewith, whereby the stem may be removed and the leaf cut into stripssimultaneously, as set forth.

JAMES PINKEY SMOTHERS.

Witnesses:

DAVID S. REID, JAMES A. PATTERSON.

